Any Other Name - Craig Johnson (Book Review)

Title - Any Other Name

Author - Craig Johnson

Summary -

Sheriff Walt Longmire's old boss Lucian Connally asks Walt to look into the suicide of a Detective in Campbell County. Lucian has a relationship with the family and the death of the Detective just doesn't ring true. Only problem is the case is closed, its outside of his jurisdiction and his only daughter is having a baby in Philadelphia and he is expected to be there. The clock is ticking and Longmire is smelling something really wrong with the death of Detective Gerald Holman.
First is it took two shots to kill himself. Next is the last cases Holman was working. Girls gone missing. And too many unanswered questions for Walt to ignore.

"..I want to warn you that if you put Walter on this you're going to find out what it's all about, one way or the other." Another pause, and I could imagine the face that was peering down at her, a visage to which I was accustomed. "You're sure you want that? Because he's like a gun; once you point him and pull the trigger, it's too late to change your mind..."

With the help of Under-Sheriff Vic Moretti and friend Henry Standing Bear, Walt is set to unravel the mystery of the dead Detective and the slew of missing girls. And somehow be there for the birth of his first grandchild.

Review -

Most series will lose steam after the fifth book or so. But Craig Johnson has maintained momentum with the Walt Longmire books and the 10th novel in the series is as crisp and well written as the first one. The characters have evolved but in essence stayed incredibly true to themselves.
I will admit being a fan of the TV show and was introduced to the characters through the show but the books are incredibly well written and stand on their own. The relationship between Vic and Walt is far more complicated in the novels and Henry Standing Bear much more imposing and zen like.
If you have not read any of the novels, you are cheating yourself. They are well written, plotted, and character driven mysteries that are in fact, true mysteries and not just some worn out plot line just there to give the characters something to talk about.
Another good read from Craig Johnson.

Roosevelt's Beast - Louis Bayard (Book Review)

Title - Roosevelt's Beast

Author - Louis Bayard

Summary -

It is 1914, along Brazil's River of Doubt, a band of explorers travel deep into the Amazon. In the party are a father and son of one of America's most powerful families. Theodore Roosevelt and his son Kermit.
But the Roosevelt's become detached from the rest of the group and with Theodore injured, it falls to Kermit to rescue them. Kermit who is plagued with self doubts and an overriding sense of failure must now care for and save his larger than life father.
Alone and captured by the remote tribe known as the Cinta Larga, the Roosevelts bargain for their lives. They are offered a task for their freedom.
They must find and kill the Beast that has been terrorizing the village. A Beast of unspeakable evil.

"...The Beast, though, hadn't left much for the bugs to feast on. Muscle, heart, liver-all were gone. The man had been peeled open and scooped out like a tin of sardines. The only organs that remained were his eyes, and, under the ministrations of heat and bacteria, even these had melted into black craters, staring out of a mustard-colored mask..."

Theodore and Kermit, with only a child and his mother to guide them, go into the jungle to hunt the Beast of the Cinta Larga. But what they find, what they bring back, is a Beast much more powerful than they imagined.

"...Both Cherrie and Rondon were silent for a time. Then the Brazilian looked up.
"You are asking us to lie, Colonel?"
"I am asking you to omit. Surely, amidst the...the infinite gradations of human venality, that particular sin ranks low." The old man kneaded the folds of his throat. "What happened out there belongs out there. The jungle has it; let the jungle keep it..."

Roosevelt's Beast is written out of the history books but never from the thoughts and souls of those who faced it.

Review -

Louis Bayard's talent for re-writing snippets of the past and infusing them with the real people who lived through those times is on full view here. Though slow to begin with, the setting is powerful and the pace quickly picks up and slams into the jungle foliage with all the force and rage of the Beast it projects.
It is Kermit, not his father Theodore, who is the narrator of this grand misadventure. Kermit, so full of self doubt and eagerness to please. Kermit, who must decide if the visions he sees are real or is he descending into the madness that has taken others in his family.
The tale itself weaves in and out of adventure and the supernatural until together they create their own well woven tapestry. Bayard is a master craftsman at this.
Underneath it all there is a mystery. Blood and death. Done by some Beast or by man. This is what Kermit must decide and when he learns the truth, how to deal with it.
Another wonderfully novel by one of the best writer's of our generation.

The Lost Sisterhood - Anne Fortier (Book Review)

Title - The Lost Sisterhood

Author - Anne Fortier

Summary - (SPOILERS)

"..Thank you, Dr. Morgan. I am gratified to discover that I am no longer the most antiquated scholar at Oxford. For your sake I hope the academy will one day come to need feminism again; the rest of us, I am relieved to say, have long since moved along and buried the old battle-ax..."

Diana Morgan has an obsession. A belief ingrained in her by countless tales told to her by her grandmother. A faith that the Amazons of legend did exist and not only did they exist, but that she will find archaeological proof of such an existence. Unfortunately she is also very alone among her colleagues in such a belief and finds her career stalled often for it.
Until one afternoon after a lecture she has given, she is propositioned by a strange man. Propositioned to fly across the world to decipher a text; in a language she has seen only once before. In a tattered old notebook written in by her grandmother. The very grandmother who has disappeared but left in Diana, the tales of the Amazons.

Parallel to the tale of Diana is the tale of Myrina. A young girl who along with her younger sister finds herself outcast from her village. A disease has attacked the village and Myrina's mother, whose faith in herbs and potions finds herself the scapegoat in the villagers fears. Myrina takes her sister to the city of the Goddess to seek refuge and there joins with the Sisterhood of the Goddess.
But such safety does not last as the Temple is sacked and the Sisterhood is taken into slavery or killed. The attackers, Greek pirates led by the son of King Agamemnon have taken Myrina's sister captive.

"..If there exists a land without men," replied Myrina, glancing at her sisters, "we above all should like to know where it is. As you can surely see, we have suffered much, and expect to suffer more, for this world of ships and journeys has not been kind to us." She bent her head as images of the temple raiders passed before her eyes. "Happiness has long since run its course in us. We are now to choose between danger and regret, neither of which can ever restore the lives we have lost..."

"..To the Greeks," Paris went on. "women are little more than livestock, and foreigners are considered more brutish still. This is why Agamemnon's pirates think nothing of attacking a foreign temple and laying hands on a priestess, and why I urge you to forget this quest of yours. If your friends are not already dead, they will be soon. Why add more bodies to the pyre?"
Myrina was shocked by his words that her growing respect for Prince Paris almost lost its footing. "If I were a man," she said, straightening, "you would not have spoken to me thus. Because I am a woman, you assume my aim in life is comfort, and that my honor lies in my chastity alone. I can't blame you, for you are merely saying what you think I am hoping to hear. But you are wrong..."

Myrina finds an ally in the young Prince of Troy, Paris, and together they set forth to free the captive Sisterhood. Thus setting the stage for the great War of Troy.

Diana finds clues to the existence of Myrina, the last known queen of the Amazons and of the battle of Troy. But in doing so she finds something else. Did the Sisterhood truly die defending the city of Troy against the Greeks, or do they still live today?

Review -

Anne Fortier has done it again. Her first English novel, Juliet, told the story of Shakespeare's Juliet in historical terms and how it relates to a modern day Juliet. In The Lost Sisterhood, she brings the strength of and power of the legend of the Amazons to life but in terms that are realistic and true to their time.
Myrina and her Sisterhood find themselves becoming warriors not by choice but by necessity. And it is their great loss that leads them to seek a sanctuary without men. Where they can provide for themselves and build a life without the limitations pressed upon them by the cultural expectations of their time.
In telling Diana's story, Fortier shows with deftness and grace, that little has changed as Diana fights for the respect and equality that her male counterparts receive in the academic world.
Do not get me wrong. This novel is not a flag waving, bra burning condemnation of the male species. Perhaps this is what Fortier has done so very well in this tale. She makes her point without alienating the male reader.
More than that alone, it is a suspenseful and wonderfully researched novel of the fall of Troy and the legends of the Amazons that defended it. She does not mimic the story we have heard before but writes one of her own. There is little mention of Achilles and none of Paris' older brother Hector. Helen is here of course but not quite in the fashion we are use to.
The Lost Sisterhood is an ode to strong independent women and insightful to the sacrifice and gain that comes with such independence.
But best of all, it is a really good story.

Alison's Wonderland - Alison Tyler (Editor) (Book Review)

Title - Alison's Wonderland

Author - Alison Tyler (Editor)

Summary -

Alison's Wonderland is a collection of short story erotica, using established fairy tale characters in a modern twist. In these pages you will find a red-haired girl with a broken down car on her way to grandmother's house; Snow-white entertaining her seven roommates; Cinderella after the ball and the three Billy goats gruff and a rather reserved Mrs. Troll. These and many more re-imaginings of classic tales.

Review -

It's difficult to know just where to begin with this collection of erotica. Some of the tales borrow heavily from their counterparts while others only name the characters to resemble the fairy tales. What they all share is a clever inventiveness and creativity to which each tale is told.
Granted, taken out of the context of the short story, some of the premises would seem to be ludicrous, they are so well told in this collection that you would believe a young woman would fantasize of being spanked by the massive fishtail of a mermaid. Belle travels to meet the Beast, herself a bought sex slave; but who will end up dominating who? Beauty or the Beast?
In the hands of these authors, each story comes tantalizingly alive. And isn't that the greatest problem with collections? That after a few, they all blend into the same story. Here the variety is what is so well maintained.
A very good read.

William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back (William Shakespeare's Star Wars #2) - Ian Doescher (Book Review)

Title - William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back (William Shakespeare's Star Wars #2)

Author - Ian Doescher

Synopsis -

Do I really need to tell it?
Okay for those of you that have been in a coma for the last decade or two.
After destroying the Death Star, Luke, Han and Leia find that the rebellion is still in danger from the power of the Empire and the greatest evil, Darth Vader. On the icy planet Hoth, Luke investigates a probe landing and finds himself attacked by Yeti like creature Wampa, after his escape he hears the ghost of Ben (Obi Wan) Kenobi telling him to go the Dagobah system to find the great Jedi master Yoda.
But the Empire attacks with At-Ats and the battle of Hoth insues. Escaping from the Empire, Luke races to Dagobah and Han, Leia, Chewbacca and 3PO seek refuge in the outpost of Cloud City run by Lando Calrissian.
Only Han has a price on his head and their refuge turns into a trap. As Han is tortured but not to illicit information but to illicit only pain. A pain that Luke will feel on the swamp like planet in the Dagaboh system where he trains with Yoda. Luke leaves in haste to save his friends and with this decision seals his true fate and learns the truth.

Review -

Okay this is just a geekfest. Plain and simple and for that alone it should be loved. It is Star Wars written as a Shakespearian Play. Can you dig it!!??

The immortal words "Luke I am your father" cried out in the angst and torment of a Hamlet player.

Get this book! Love it! Read it! Force your children to hear it out!

Too much fun to miss!

The Ape Man's Brother - Joe R Lansdale (Book Review)

Title - The Ape Man's Brother

Author - Joe R. Lansdale

Story Summary -

In the dense jungle, a species of ape like creatures witness the crash of an airplane. Amongst the wreckage a baby lays crying. A female of the tribe takes the baby and raises him as her own. Together with her family the child grows in the wild. We know this story only it is not the one we were told. This is the true story of the child raised in the jungle among the tribe of apes.

"..Now the true events can be told, because other than myself, everyone involved with the sordid affair is now dead or missing, except that goddamn chimpanzee. He's got the constitution of a redwood tree. Then again it's not his fault. He was an actor. He was never actually involved, but the way he's treated, living in a retirement home for animals of the cinema, photos and articles popping up about him on his birthday every year, his fuzzy face covered in birthday cake, you'd think he'd at least have been President for a term.
Me, I was the real thing, and my raggedy ass has been left to its own devices. So, I thank you for coming to me to get the real story, and I will tell it true without dropping a stitch on the real lowdown..."

Life for the ape man ( The Big Guy) and his adopted brother goes along as normal as life can be. They hunt, they kill, they eat and they screw. Until one day they hear a sound unlike any they have ever heard in the jungle. It was the sound of singing. Human singing. And with this sound the whole world is changed.
They have found The Woman.

"..The Delicate Thing struck me at that moment in time as ugly as The Big Guy. Reason for this, I'm sure, is obvious. My view of what was beautiful was based on my upbringing, my culture, and my own appearance. My idea then of attractive was fur-covered, no sores, both eyes worked, they had a vagina, and the fleas were minimal, though sometimes you could eat fleas while you mated, which I suppose for us could be classified as a cheap dinner date.
In time my views on attractiveness changed..."

The Big Guy falls hard for The Woman and is taken back, along with his brother, to America where they become instant celebrities. The Brother takes to civilization quickly, wearing clothes, trimming his body hair and even setting fashion trends. And also finding himself wanted by a variety of human females. None of which he said no too.
The Big Guy finds civilization more difficult to conform to. He and the woman try to settle down, making the occasional appearance and the Big Guy appearing in movies. But the jungle won't leave him alone and soon his actions lead to public humiliation and from there the Big Guy finds his solace in whiskey and other drink.
The Woman finds her solace in The Ape Man's Brother.
This sordid triangle of love and betrayal lead to unfathomable repercussions for all involved.

"..The Woman had seen him as well. She had tears in her eyes.
We waited.
He didn't come rushing down after us.
I heard a car start up behind the trees and race away.
I could tell by the sound of the engine that it was his Buick, the one he hardly drove and really shouldn't drive at all. The Big Guy could do many things, but he never really learned to drive too well. He was always being pulled out of ditches and having to pay other drivers for banging up their cars. But he had been smart enough to ease up behind that hill silently, get out and climb that tree. Now he didn't care. About anything was my guess.
You want to know what hurt me the most right then? That he didn't even have the courtesy to kill us..."

Together the Ape Man's Brother and The Woman must find a way to save The Big Guy and return them all to the way things had been.

Review -

Wow. Okay I have to say I really liked this book. It is like Tarzan on an E Channel Expose. Where are they now and all that. It is twisted and sordid and a whole lot of fun. Told through the voice and eyes of The Big Guy's brother, the ape, it is just a fun story.
Joe R. Lansdale rendition of the Tarzan story is going to go missed by a lot of readers and that is a shame. It should be read. It should be laughed out loud at and OMG'd at and whatever the hell the tale illicits from you because it will. You will have a reaction.
Like Christopher Moore's take on the life of Jesus in Lamb, this novel is satire on an Icon of Pop Culture. This is the Tarzan you never knew but you should.
A really good and fun read.